Apparatus for refining mineral oils.



c. E. LA PP.

APPARATUS FOR REFINING MINERAL OILS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 19!?- Patented May 14, 1918.

INVENTOR CLEMENS El LAPP lid CLEMENS E. LAPP, 0]? LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FQR REFINING MINERAL OILS.-

aeegaesi.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May id, 1918..

Application filed November 5, 1917. Serial No.'200,257.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLEMENS E. L'Arr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forRefining Mineral Oils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for refining mineral oils.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an apparatus forthe distillation of mineral oils which will provide means forcontinuously treating such oils, to successively increasing temperatureswhereby the volatile hydrocarbon fluids will be distilled from the oiland will be drawn ofi at various points along the flow of the oilthroughthe furnace, thus allowing the various grades of lighthydrocarbons to be separately and con tinuously drawn from the liquid asit is treated at difi'erent temperatures.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of the aboveclass through which hydrocarbon oils may be fractionally distilled andwhich will carry away the hydrocarbon vapors during the distillingoperation, and which will reduce carbon deposits to a minimum within thecoils of the distilling furnace, thus insuring thap the furnace may beoperated continuous y.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanyingdrawlngs in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating the distilling furnaceused in the refining apparatus, with parts broken away to more clearlydisclose th coils therein and the draw-0E pipe leading therefrom.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective illustrating one of the supportingcolumn elements by which the "co'nvolutions of the coil. within cothe'furnace are spaced from each other and held in fixed positions.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a base-uponwhich the cylindrical outer wall 11 of the refining" furnac ispositioned. This wall inclosesa cylindrical heat chamber 12 and a firebox 13 disposed therebeneath. A door 14 is rov'ided through which accessto the fire ox ma be obtained, while a cleaning door 15 I is osedbeneath the do'br 14 to provide draft and allow access to the ash pit ofthe fire box. It will be understood that gas or combustible material mabe used in the furnace. The upper end of the heat chamber is preferablyfitted witha frusto-conical head 16, the apex of which is incommunication with a flue pipe 17 through which the products ofcombustion are drawn off.

Arranged within the heat chamber and concentricwith the cylindrical wallthereof is a distilling coil 18 composed of a series of convolutions ofpipe disposed in helical fashion adjacent the wall of the chamber andthrough thecenter of which hot gases from the fire box may pass. Theconvolutions of this coil are held in position by supporting columns 19here shown as composed of separate units 20, as illustrated in Fig. 2.These units are formed with seats 21 and 22 at their opposite ends uponwhich the adjacent walls of the coil may rest.

Rivet holes are formed through the opposite. ends of the units so thatthey maybe assembled as shown in Fig. 1 and rigidly held by rivets 23.

The upper end of the coil is fitted with an oil inlet pipe 24 having acontrol valve 24 which is in communication with a supply tank and ispreferably led through a preheater of suitable design. The opposite endof the coil is fitted with a draw-off pipe 25 which communicates with aresiduum tank into which the residue of the oil is carried.

In order that the hydrocarbon vapors and gases produced by thedistillation may be carried off, a series of draw-off pipes 26 aretapped into the coil at various points along its length and extendsubstantially vertically to provide an escape for these vapors andgases. It will be noted that the temperature within the furnace willdecrease as the heat passesupwardly through the coil.

and away from the firebox. Thus the various convolutions of the coilwill be subjected to different de ees of heat and the oil passingthrough t e coil will therefore carried at substantially atmospi sures.

The rapidity of the fiovv of the mineral to he treated may be controlledby valve E l, thus also controlling the tem" tim or the mineral oil inits passage thcoil 18. residue may, of course be subjected to anothercycle .01": treatment through tne coil 1 either alone or with untreatedmineral oil.

The temperature to which the oil under treatment is subjected may bevaried as desired, by t is control of the combustion in the furnace andthe rate or flow oi the oil through the coil 18. it may increase thetemperature so that considerable cracking occurs, especially in thelower section or" the coil 18. Such higher temperatures may he founddesirable when the residue is suhj ected to a successive treatment.

llt Will thus he seen that the apparatus here disclosed While simple inits construction, will operate continuously to refine mineral oils andallow the hydrocarbon vapors and gases to be drawn 0% in the order theyare produced and conveyed away separately.

While 1 have shown the preferred con struction of my apparatus forrefining mineral oils as now lrnovvn to me, it will he understood thatvarious changes in the comhinetion, construction and arrangement ofparts may he made by those skilled in the art Without departing from thespirit o1 my invention as claimed.

1 claim: I

1. in apparatus for refining oil, a base, a cylindrical Wall mountedupon the base a helical pipe coil mounted vertically with in thecylindrical well; there being supporting columns to engage theconvolutions of the coil and hold the convolutions regularly spacedapart said supporting columns being made up of units fitting togetherend to end and having seats in their ends to receive the convolutions ofthe coil; and means for securing the units together.

2. in an apparatus for refining oil, a base, a cylindrical wall mountedupon the base, a helical pipe coil mounted vertically Within thecylindrical Well; there being supporting columns to engage theconvolutions of the coil and hold the convolutions regularly spacedapart, said supporting columns losing made up of units fitting togetherend to end and having seats in their ends to receive the convolutions ofthe coil; means for securing the units together, and draw-0d pipesleading upwardly from various parts of the coil.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CLEMENS E. LAPP.

